I believe in Euthanasia.
Just reading the sentence above, you are probably shaking your head already. That is how controversial the topic is. Some call it playing god, some messing with nature. But doesn't medical science already do that? Play god? Decide who should live, how long and in what condition?
I am talking about cases where there is no hope of a recovery. About cases where the person is dying a slow painful death. Where god has already set the person's path to him but we with our medical interventions keep postponing the inevitable. We have the capacity to make the organs run artificially, for the heart to beat, the lungs to breathe. But this is not life. This is not how he designed it. It is not meant to be this way. Life is when you are conscious, aware of your whereabouts. When you have control over your faculties. Life is justifiable when you can maintain your dignity and your pride.
The rest is our personal selfishness. We hold on to those we love, not letting them go. More for ourselves than for them. We do not know how we will cope without them or how we can bear the burden of playing god for them. But sometimes we need to be strong. And show them the love and respect that they have shown us all their lives while they were alive. We need to say our goodbyes. And we need to let them go. Hoping that there is a happier place waiting for them. Away from the disinfectant smell of the hospital, away from the humming of the life support machines. Away from hanging on the cliff. We need to let them fall. So that they may soar.
I know that those who love me may not like this. But I would not like to live like that. I would like to go suddenly...without prolonged suffering. I would like to die when I am healthy. When I can speak my opinions and run a mile. If that is when I am 70 or 75 or whatever age, I would like to say my goodbyes and walk into the sunset. Because that is how I would like to be remembered. As a person who lived...who smiled...who thought.
Just reading the sentence above, you are probably shaking your head already. That is how controversial the topic is. Some call it playing god, some messing with nature. But doesn't medical science already do that? Play god? Decide who should live, how long and in what condition?
I am talking about cases where there is no hope of a recovery. About cases where the person is dying a slow painful death. Where god has already set the person's path to him but we with our medical interventions keep postponing the inevitable. We have the capacity to make the organs run artificially, for the heart to beat, the lungs to breathe. But this is not life. This is not how he designed it. It is not meant to be this way. Life is when you are conscious, aware of your whereabouts. When you have control over your faculties. Life is justifiable when you can maintain your dignity and your pride.
The rest is our personal selfishness. We hold on to those we love, not letting them go. More for ourselves than for them. We do not know how we will cope without them or how we can bear the burden of playing god for them. But sometimes we need to be strong. And show them the love and respect that they have shown us all their lives while they were alive. We need to say our goodbyes. And we need to let them go. Hoping that there is a happier place waiting for them. Away from the disinfectant smell of the hospital, away from the humming of the life support machines. Away from hanging on the cliff. We need to let them fall. So that they may soar.
I know that those who love me may not like this. But I would not like to live like that. I would like to go suddenly...without prolonged suffering. I would like to die when I am healthy. When I can speak my opinions and run a mile. If that is when I am 70 or 75 or whatever age, I would like to say my goodbyes and walk into the sunset. Because that is how I would like to be remembered. As a person who lived...who smiled...who thought.
2 comments:
Indeed a very "controversial" topic.. But I agree with you.. It's better to end things rather than let your loved one suffer.. But then again, I don't think that I have the courage to take that "dreaded" call.. I would rather hide behind the "never lose hope till the end" cliché than to Pull the Plug..
"I know that those who love me may not like this".. Well Said.. It works both ways you know.. :)
Wrote this while we were in an impossible situation like this...it only reinforced my belief...that it's better to help the person in limbo find peace than keep holding on for our own sake. Yes, it is probably one of the most difficult decisions in one's life though :)
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